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Researchers developing affordable flow battery technology

Posted on December 19, 2014

The wind and sun can produce great amounts of power,
but it can usually only be harnessed when it’s windy and the sun is
shining. Researchers at Grand Valley State University and Ann
Arbor-based Vinazene are working to change that by creating a new
type of flow battery technology that will allow the capture,
collection and storage of energy through organic compounds.

The project, funded by a Phase II Small Business
Innovation Research grant through the U.S. Department of Energy to Vinazene, includes researchers from Grand Valley’s Michigan
Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) and Chemistry Department.

Andrew Lantz, associate professor of chemistry at
Grand Valley, Bill Schroeder and John Schroeder, research
consultants for Grand Valley, and a group of students are developing
and testing a prototype device to showcase the redox flow battery
technology concept.

Lantz said the flow cell technology is similar to
batteries, except that instead of all the chemicals contained in the
battery, the chemicals — or electrolytes — are stored in batteries
on large external reservoirs and are pumped into the battery as
needed during charge or discharge cycles.

“The main roadblock with many renewable energy
sources is their lack of consistent power output over time,” said
Lantz. “Flow battery technology can help deal with this issue by
storing energy reserves during times of peak collection and
discharging the energy when it is needed.”

While other companies and universities are conducting
similar research, Vinazene founder Paul Rasmussen, professor
emeritus of chemistry and macromolecular science and engineering at
the University of Michigan, said many rely on expensive, scarce
elements to supply the batteries; his team is using organic
compounds that are less expensive and more accessible.

Lantz said as the country shifts to renewable energy,
this concept will be especially well suited for solar and wind
energy sources.

The group will continue to perform research through
April with funding through the SBIR grant.

For more information, contact Andrew Lantz at
lantza@gvsu.edu or (616) 331-8753 or Paul Rasmussen at pgrasmsn@gmail.com.